Observation of dynamical quantum phase transitions in a spinor condensate

A dynamical quantum phase transition can be characterized by a nonanalytic change in the quench dynamics when a parameter in the governing Hamiltonian is varied. Such a transition typically only shows up in long-time dynamics for extensive systems with short-range couplings. We analyze a model Hamiltonian of spin-1 particles with effectively infinite-range couplings and demonstrate that for this system the nonanalytic transition occurs for local observables in short-time durations even when the system is of a large size. We experimentally realize this model Hamiltonian and observe the dynamical quantum phase transition in an antiferromagnetic spinor Bose-Einstein condensate of around 10⁵ sodium atoms. Our observations agree well with the theoretical prediction. We also analyze the scaling exponent near the dynamical phase transition and discuss its relation with the excited-state spectrum of the system.